Curious to know what different people do all day at their 9-5? We’re investigating job titles and diving deeper into day-to-day tasks to get the low-down on exactly what those roles really entail. Not sure how much to ask for your raise? Wondering what a VP in finance does in the afternoon? We’re uncovering the details behind jobs, along with the salaries and tasks that come with them, to help you figure out what you’re interested in. Below, read about how a woman working in information technology spends her day.
Age: 32
City: El Segundo
Industry: Information Technology
Job Title: Chief of Staff
Years of Experience: 10
Salary: $100k
What does your job title mean?

As a chief of staff, I play many different roles while supporting senior executives such as: VPs, Chief Architect, CTO, CIO, Chief Digital Officers. I write communications, prepare presentations, manage specific department budgets & make recommendations to maintain a healthy organization. If there is a large transformation project or any process changes happening within the organization, it is often my duty to project manage and ensure that leadership knows about risks, issues or any concerns on the ground. Since I am not necessarily a “techie” it is also my responsibility to keep up-to-date on the latest industry process trends such as design thinking, SAFE agile, etc. and help come up with recommendations on how to implement them into the organization where necessary.

At 9am I am…
Usually catching up on emails, working on presentations, following up on action items, sitting in on meetings with my boss or working on a presentation.
At 11am I am…
It’s not uncommon for me to have a noon deadline (and have a working lunch) for a presentation that’s due same day or next day. The presentations I prep vary anywhere from department operation reviews to CEO briefings on the IT Strategy.
What does lunch normally look like for you?
More often than not, working lunches. I have subscribed to Thistle to try to keep my meals healthy and fast but many times I skip lunch and work right through because that’s when most of the people I need to meet with are free.

At 1pm I am…
Often revising feedback that I got on a presentation while also attending a project status meeting.

At 3pm I am… 
Having a coffee break! We have two coffee shops that are right by the office so if I’m not hosting a meeting or don’t have a pressing deadline I am probably walking with a co-worker to get rejuvenated for my next round of meetings or presentation reviews.
At 5pm I am… 
Working hard. This is usually when the most work gets done, because everyone is free. There are a lot of working sessions that happen around this time: editing/revising/discussing. This is also the time when I hear about new action items, presentations, communications, projects that I will need to get involved in for the next days/weeks/months.
When does a workday end for you? 
It really varies depending on what’s happening at the time. It can be as early as 5pm but as late as 8 or 9pm.
What do you do after work?
After work I like to decompress for a few hours and take a break from work-related stuff. If it’s planned in advance enough, I am able to go for dinner with friends or coworkers. I’ll check back into work right before bed ~11pm (oftentimes I have forgotten to do something like schedule a meeting).
What do you do before bed?
I go to bed around 11:30 pm, before then I meditate, and reflect on my day.
Is there anything you’d like people to know?
You don’t have to be a technical person to play a role in the technology industry. The day I described above varies–there are times when I am sprinting and have a lot of work/long hours and deliverables and there are other times when there is down time, sometimes for days at a time, with the freedom to work on other things.
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